Pure-blood supremacy
and his son Draco.]] Pure-blood supremacyWizard of the Month archive on J.K. Rowling's Official Site is the belief that wizards and witches whose known ancestry is exclusively magical (pure-bloods) are inherently superior to wizards and witches who have traceable Muggle ancestry (Muggle-borns and half-bloods). Proponents of this ideology typically regard Muggle-born wizards as impure and not worthy of possessing magical ability and often actively discriminate against them. Attitude and beliefs Pure-blood supremacists consider themselves to be the elite of the wizarding world, akin to royalty. They look down upon half-bloods, Muggle-borns, and half-breeds, and consider the Muggle world to be inferior to their own. Pure-bloods, and even half-bloods, who do not share this view are considered traitors to their own kind, hence the term "blood traitor." They are considered disgraces by pure-blood supremecists such as the Malfoys. Elitist pure-bloods believe that it is a sign of weak magic to enjoy non-magical company''The Tales of Beedle the Bard (real)'' and seem to believe that some of the supposed dirtiness of Muggles and Muggle-borns will rub off on those who associate with them, thus they consider blood traitors to be "filthy" as wellThe various terms for blood traitors, such as Dunglicker, Scumsucker, and Mudwallower, all make associations with uncleanliness. Marvolo Gaunt also called his daughter a "filthy little blood traitor" for admiring a Muggle, and Blaise Zabini once declared that he would never so much as touch a "filthy blood traitor" like Ginny Weasley, despite finding her physically attractive.. Some extremists consider blood traitors to be nearly as bad as the Muggle-borns they are prejudiced against. Bellatrix Lestrange, for example, claimed that "blood traitor is next to Mudblood in her book,"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and her family often disowned and blasted off the family tree any members who could be considered blood traitors. Blood traitors might also be shunned by their families and acquaintances; for example, Bellatrix and her younger sister Narcissa Malfoy stopped seeing their sister Andromeda after she married a Muggle-born wizard, Ted Tonks. Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters targeted blood traitors during the First and Second Wizarding Wars because they opposed their goals. When they were temporarily in control of the Ministry of Magic in late 1997 and early 1998, they kept blood traitors such as Arthur Weasley under surveillance. However, even most Death Eaters were reluctant to kill pure-bloods, even "traitorous" ones, if it could be avoided. The same situation existed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while Voldemort was in power.Neville Longbottom says of the Carrows in Chapter 29 of Deathly Hallows: "They don’t want to spill too much pure blood, so they’ll torture us a bit if we’re mouthy but they won’t actually kill us.” Given this statement, and the fact that the Weasleys were only in direct danger after Ron Weasley's help of Harry Potter was revealed to the Death Eaters, it seems that they were hesitant to kill blood traitors unless they were very rebellious. Degrees of prejudice Pure-blood elitism The most extreme of the pure-blood supremacists seek to purge the world of those they consider "impure." They often tolerate half-bloods out of necessity, but Muggle-borns are persecuted, and Muggles are viewed as nothing more than animals. .]] , Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange.]] .]] Pure-blood bias Some wizards, while believing in the inherent superiority of pure-bloods, do not actively discriminate against Muggle-borns and are even accepting of them in some cases. .]] .]] *It is unknown if Muriel could be considered biased, as she once condescendingly referred to Hermione Granger as "the Muggle-born" at her nephew's wedding. However, as Ron pointed out, she was rude to everyone. She also made snide remarks about Fleur Delacour, not because she was a half-breed, but because she was French. Wizarding supremacists Many wizards, even those who oppose discrimination based on blood status, regard themselves as superior to the non-magical Muggles. While many are content with simply remaining separate from muggle society, some believe that the world would be a better place with wizards in charge. .]] .]] *Percival Dumbledore gained a reputation as a Muggle hater for his attack on three Muggle boys. What was not widely known however, was that his attack was an act of retribution for their assault on his daughter Ariana, which left her severely traumatised. He never revealed the true motives for his attack to prevent his daughter from being confined to St. Mungo's for the rest of her life. As his wife Kendra was a Muggle-born witch, it is debatable whether Percival harboured any prejudicial views. *The wizard in The Wizard and the Hopping Pot believed that Muggles were worthless, in contrast with his father's attitude. However, after the Hopping Pot began relentlessly tormenting him for not helping his Muggle neighbours, he changed his opinion and started helping the Muggles. Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' *''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' Notes and references See Also *Blood purity *Blood traitor *Pure-blood Category:Pure-blood supremacism